Field of the Invention
The present invention relates a main body of an image forming apparatus adopting an electrophotographic image forming method.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, image forming apparatuses adopt cartridge methods in which drums and process units acting on the drums are integrally formed as cartridges, and the cartridges are detachably attachable to main bodies of the image forming apparatuses. The cartridge methods enable users to do maintenance of the image forming apparatuses by themselves without asking service persons, so that operability of the apparatuses can be significantly improved. Thus, the cartridge methods are widely used in the image forming apparatuses.
Nowadays, popularization of computers enables a broad range of users to use printers, facsimiles, and others. As for cartridges as consumables, there is a need of users to use cartridges having forms corresponding to usage with respect to the apparatus main bodies. An apparatus is discussed which can attach and detach a separate type cartridge which is different from a process cartridge in which consumables are unified into an integrated structure and is constituted of a drum cartridge including a photosensitive drum and a developing cartridge including a developing unit (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-276961).
As for a configuration of the apparatus which mounts the separate type cartridge, a configuration is discussed in which the apparatus main body includes a fixed guide and a rotation guide. In the configuration, the drum cartridge is mounted to the fixed guide which is fixed to and supported by the apparatus main body, and the developing cartridge is mounted to the rotation guide which is rotatably supported by the apparatus main body. In the image forming apparatus, the photosensitive drum included in the drum cartridge is brought into contact with the developing unit included in the developing cartridge by rotating the rotation guide to form an image (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-148319).